KR101769998B1 - Mobile terminal device and automatic control method of display brightness thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal including a display unit, an illuminance sensing unit for sensing ambient brightness and outputting an illuminance value, and a controller for discretely adjusting the brightness of the display unit according to an illuminance value input from the illuminance sensing unit will be. According to the present invention, when the illuminance of the surrounding environment changes abruptly, the brightness of the display unit of the mobile terminal device is automatically discontinuously changed to a preset brightness value, thereby increasing the convenience of the user and improving the outdoor visibility And the power consumption can be reduced.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a mobile terminal device and an automatic brightness adjusting method thereof.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mobile terminal device, and more particularly, to a mobile terminal device capable of automatic brightness control.

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a mobile communication terminal is a portable device having one or more functions that can carry a voice and video call, input / output information, and data.

As the functions of the mobile communication terminal are diversified, for example, the mobile communication terminal has complicated functions such as photographing and photographing of a moving picture, reproduction of music or video file, reception of a game and broadcasting, and the like in the form of a multimedia player .

In order to implement complex functions in multimedia devices, various new attempts have been made in terms of hardware or software. For example, a user interface environment is provided for a user to easily and conveniently search for or select a function.

As a power supply means of the mobile communication terminal, a battery pack, which is detachably installed on the rear surface of the terminal, is generally used. The battery pack may be detached from the terminal or mounted in a terminal and may be mounted in a predetermined charging device to perform a charging operation.

On the other hand, in addition to the basic call function, a mobile communication terminal having various additional functions as described above is increasingly used in various ways in a variety of ways, so that power consumption is increased, but the battery pack is gradually becoming smaller according to the slimming trend. Therefore, it is natural that the user desires to increase the battery usage time, and accordingly, it is general to set the brightness of the display unit with a large power consumption to be generally dark. The brightness of the display unit may be variably changed according to the illuminance of the surrounding environment. However, since the automatic brightness setting is also set to be dark on the premise of indoor use, the illuminance of the surrounding environment rapidly The brightness of the display unit is dark and the user has to manually adjust the brightness of the display unit.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is conceived to solve the above-described problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for automatically changing the brightness of a display unit to a predetermined brightness value and discontinuously adjusting the brightness of the display unit, And to provide a device.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile terminal including a display unit, an illuminance sensing unit for sensing ambient brightness and outputting an illuminance value, and a display unit for illuminating the brightness of the display unit according to an illuminance value input from the illuminance sensing unit. And a control unit for discontinuously adjusting the temperature.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, when the illuminance value is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value, the controller controls to change the brightness of the display unit to correspond to a preset brightness value.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, when the brightness control mode of the display unit is a manual mode, the brightness of the display unit is fixed, and if the brightness value is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value, So as to change the brightness of the display unit.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, when the brightness control mode of the display unit is the automatic mode, the controller changes the brightness of the display unit in proportion to the brightness value, The brightness of the display unit is controlled so as to correspond to the preset brightness value.

A method for adjusting automatic brightness of a mobile terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of: (a) receiving an illuminance value according to ambient brightness; (b) determining whether the illuminance value input in step (a) And controlling the brightness of the display unit to be discontinuous if the illuminance value is equal to or greater than the predetermined reference value as a result of the determination in step (b).

According to another embodiment of the present invention, in the step (c), when the illuminance value is equal to or greater than the predetermined reference value, the brightness of the display unit is adjusted to correspond to a preset brightness value .

According to the present invention, when the illuminance of the surrounding environment changes abruptly, the brightness of the display portion of the mobile terminal device is automatically discontinuously changed to a preset brightness value, thereby enhancing the user's convenience and improving the outdoor visibility Can be improved and the power consumption can be reduced.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2A is a front perspective view of a mobile terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2B is a rear perspective view of a mobile terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a flowchart illustrating an automatic brightness control method of a mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
4 is an example of a relationship between an illuminance value and a brightness value when the brightness control mode of the display unit is the automatic mode.
5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a relationship between an illuminance value and a brightness value when the brightness control mode of the display unit is the manual mode.

Hereinafter, a mobile terminal device related to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The suffix "module" and " part "for the components used in the following description are given or mixed in consideration of ease of specification, and do not have their own meaning or role.

The mobile terminal device described in this specification includes a mobile phone, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), a PMP (Portable Multimedia Player) And the like.

However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the configuration according to the embodiments described herein may be applied to a fixed terminal device such as a digital TV, a desktop computer, or the like, except when applicable only to a mobile terminal device.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The mobile terminal 100 includes a wireless communication unit 110, an audio / video input unit 120, a user input unit 130, a sensing unit 140, an output unit 150, a memory 160, A controller 170, a controller 180, a power supply 190, and the like. The components shown in FIG. 1 are not essential, and a mobile terminal device having more or fewer components may be implemented.

Hereinafter, the components will be described in order.

The wireless communication unit 110 may include one or more modules that enable wireless communication between the mobile communication device 100 and the wireless communication system or between the mobile communication device 100 and the network in which the mobile communication device 100 is located . For example, the wireless communication unit 110 may include a broadcast receiving module 111, a mobile communication module 112, a wireless Internet module 113, a short range communication module 114, and a location information module 115 .

The broadcast receiving module 111 receives broadcast signals and / or broadcast-related information from an external broadcast management server through a broadcast channel.

The broadcast channel may include a satellite channel and a terrestrial channel. The broadcast management server may refer to a server for generating and transmitting broadcast signals and / or broadcast related information, or a server for receiving broadcast signals and / or broadcast related information generated by the broadcast management server and transmitting the generated broadcast signals and / or broadcast related information. The broadcast signal may include a TV broadcast signal, a radio broadcast signal, a data broadcast signal, and a broadcast signal in which a data broadcast signal is combined with a TV broadcast signal or a radio broadcast signal.

The broadcast-related information may refer to a broadcast channel, a broadcast program, or information related to a broadcast service provider. The broadcast-related information may also be provided through a mobile communication network. In this case, it may be received by the mobile communication module 112.

The broadcast-related information may exist in various forms. For example, an EPG (Electronic Program Guide) of DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) or an ESG (Electronic Service Guide) of Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld (DVB-H).

For example, the broadcast receiving module 111 may be a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DMB-T), a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Satellite (DMB-S), a Media Forward Link Only And a Digital Broadcasting System (ISDB-T) (Integrated Services Digital Broadcast-Terrestrial). Of course, the broadcast receiving module 111 may be adapted to other broadcasting systems as well as the digital broadcasting system described above.

The broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information received through the broadcast receiving module 111 may be stored in the memory 160.

The mobile communication module 112 transmits and receives radio signals to at least one of a base station, an external terminal, and a server on a mobile communication network. The wireless signal may include various types of data depending on a voice call signal, a video call signal or a text / multimedia message transmission / reception.

The wireless Internet module 113 refers to a module for wireless Internet access, and may be embedded in the mobile terminal device 100 or externally. WLAN (Wi-Fi), Wibro (Wireless broadband), Wimax (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) and the like can be used as wireless Internet technologies.

The short-range communication module 114 refers to a module for short-range communication. Bluetooth, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), infrared data association (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB), ZigBee, and the like can be used as a short range communication technology.

The position information module 115 is a module for obtaining the position of the mobile terminal device, and a representative example thereof is a Global Position System (GPS) module.

Referring to FIG. 1, an A / V (Audio / Video) input unit 120 is for inputting an audio signal or a video signal, and may include a camera 121 and a microphone 122. The camera 121 processes image frames such as still images or moving images obtained by the image sensor in the video communication mode or the photographing mode. The processed image frame can be displayed on the display unit 151. [

The image frame processed by the camera 121 may be stored in the memory 160 or transmitted to the outside through the wireless communication unit 110. [ Two or more cameras 121 may be provided depending on the use environment.

The microphone 122 receives an external sound signal through a microphone in a communication mode, a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, or the like, and processes it as electrical voice data. The processed voice data can be converted into a form that can be transmitted to the mobile communication base station through the mobile communication module 112 when the voice data is in the call mode, and output. Various noise reduction algorithms may be implemented in the microphone 122 to remove noise generated in receiving an external sound signal.

In the present invention, the microphone serves as an acoustic sensor. That is, when the user hits the mobile terminal device to sense the user's operation with respect to the mobile terminal device, the user can sense the vibration of the mobile terminal device through the microphone 122. A shock sensor may be used instead of this microphone. This microphone and shock sensor can sense the operation of the user's mobile terminal device instead of the sensing part.

The user input unit 130 generates input data for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal device by the user. The user input unit 130 may include a key pad dome switch, a touch pad (static / static), a jog wheel, a jog switch, and the like.

The sensing unit 140 senses the open / close state of the mobile terminal 100, the position of the mobile terminal 100, the presence of the user, the orientation of the mobile terminal, the acceleration / deceleration of the mobile terminal, And the like, and generates a sensing signal for controlling the operation of the mobile communication device 100 by sensing the current state and the surrounding environment state of the mobile communication device 100. [ For example, when the mobile terminal device 100 is in the form of a slide phone, it is possible to sense whether the slide phone is opened or closed. It is also possible to sense whether the power supply unit 190 is powered on, whether the interface unit 170 is connected to an external device, and the like. The sensing unit 140 may include a proximity sensor 141, a touch sensor 142, a tilt sensor 143, and an illuminance sensor 144.

The illuminance sensor 144 senses the brightness around the mobile communication device 100, and provides the corresponding illuminance value to the control unit. Preferably, the illuminance sensor 144 is disposed at a position where the brightness of the surroundings can be detected regardless of the use state of the user's mobile communication device 100.

The output unit 150 is for generating output related to the visual, auditory or tactile sense and includes a display unit 151, an audio output module 152, an alarm unit 153, and a haptic module 154 .

The display unit 151 displays (outputs) information to be processed by the mobile terminal device 100. For example, when the mobile terminal device is in the call mode, a UI (User Interface) or GUI (Graphic User Interface) associated with the call is displayed. When the mobile communication device 100 is in the video communication mode or the photographing mode, the photographed and / or received video or UI and GUI are displayed.

The display unit 151 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), a flexible display display, and a 3D display.

Some of these displays may be transparent or light transmissive so that they can be seen through. This can be referred to as a transparent display, and a typical example of the transparent display is TOLED (Transparent OLED) and the like. The rear structure of the display unit 151 may also be of a light transmission type. With this structure, the user can view objects located behind the terminal body through the area occupied by the display unit 151 of the mobile terminal device body.

There may be two or more display units 151 according to the embodiment of the mobile communication device 100. [ For example, the mobile terminal device 100 may have a plurality of display portions separated from each other, disposed integrally with each other, or disposed on different surfaces.

(Hereinafter, referred to as a 'touch screen') in which a display unit 151 and a sensor for sensing a touch operation (hereinafter, referred to as 'touch sensor') form a mutual layer structure, It can also be used as an input device. The touch sensor 142 may take the form of, for example, a touch film, a touch sheet, or a touch pad.

The touch sensor 142 may be configured to convert a change in a pressure applied to a specific part of the display part 151 or a capacitance generated in a specific part of the display part 151 into an electrical input signal. The touch sensor 142 can be configured to detect not only the position and area to be touched but also the pressure at the time of touch.

If there is a touch input to the touch sensor 142, the corresponding signal (s) is sent to the touch controller. The touch controller processes the signal (s) and transmits the corresponding data to the controller 180. Thus, the control unit 180 can know which area of the display unit 151 is touched or the like.

The brightness of the display unit 151 can be selectively adjusted by the user. The brightness control mode of the display unit 151 may include an automatic mode in which the brightness of the display unit 151 is adjusted first in proportion to the brightness of the surrounding environment and a brightness mode of the brightness of the display unit 151 There is a manual mode in which the operation mode is kept fixed. The user can set the automatic mode or the manual mode by touch input to the touch sensor 142 with respect to the brightness adjustment item. The mobile terminal apparatus according to the present invention provides 'outdoor visibility' items in parallel with the two brightness control modes of the automatic mode or the manual mode, so that the display unit 151 in an outdoor environment having a high ambient illuminance, The brightness can be automatically adjusted.

When the user sets the 'outdoor visibility' item, the controller 180 compares the ambient illumination value provided from the ambient light sensor 144 with a predetermined reference value, and if the illumination value is determined to be equal to or greater than the predetermined reference value, And controls the brightness of the display unit 151 to change according to a preset brightness value. At this time, the predetermined reference value and the preset brightness value are stored in the memory 160 and can be changed by the user. The preset brightness value may be set to be larger than the brightness value range of the display unit 151 according to the automatic mode or the manual mode so that the brightness of the display unit 151 can be changed and controlled to be discrete . The 'outdoor visibility' item may be set together with the automatic mode or the manual mode.

Referring to FIG. 1, a proximity sensor 141 may be disposed in an inner region of a mobile terminal device or a proximity of the touch screen, which is enclosed by the touch screen. The proximity sensor refers to a sensor that detects the presence or absence of an object approaching a predetermined detection surface or a nearby object without mechanical contact using the force of an electromagnetic field or infrared rays. The proximity sensor has a longer life span than the contact sensor and its utilization is also high.

Examples of the proximity sensor include a transmission type photoelectric sensor, a direct reflection type photoelectric sensor, a mirror reflection type photoelectric sensor, a high frequency oscillation type proximity sensor, a capacitive proximity sensor, a magnetic proximity sensor, and an infrared proximity sensor. And to detect the proximity of the pointer by the change of the electric field along the proximity of the pointer when the touch screen is electrostatic. In this case, the touch screen (touch sensor) may be classified as a proximity sensor.

Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the act of recognizing that the pointer is positioned on the touch screen while the pointer is not in contact with the touch screen is referred to as "proximity touch & The act of actually touching the pointer on the screen is called "contact touch. &Quot; The position where the pointer is proximately touched on the touch screen means a position where the pointer is vertically corresponding to the touch screen when the pointer is touched.

The proximity sensor detects a proximity touch and a proximity touch pattern (e.g., a proximity touch distance, a proximity touch direction, a proximity touch speed, a proximity touch time, a proximity touch position, a proximity touch movement state, and the like). Information corresponding to the detected proximity touch operation and the proximity touch pattern may be output on the touch screen.

The audio output module 152 may output audio data received from the wireless communication unit 110 or stored in the memory 160 in a call signal reception mode, a call mode or a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, a broadcast reception mode, The sound output module 152 also outputs sound signals related to functions (e.g., call signal reception sound, message reception sound, etc.) performed in the mobile communication device 100. The audio output module 152 may include a receiver, a speaker, a buzzer, and the like.

The alarm unit 153 outputs a signal for notifying the occurrence of an event of the mobile communication device 100. Examples of events that occur in the mobile terminal device include receiving a call signal, receiving a message, inputting a key signal, and touch input. The alarm unit 153 may output a signal for notifying the occurrence of an event in a form other than the video signal or the audio signal, for example, vibration. The video signal or the audio signal may be output through the display unit 151 or the audio output module 152 so that they may be classified as a part of the alarm unit 153.

The haptic module 154 generates various tactile effects that the user can feel. A typical example of the haptic effect generated by the haptic module 154 is vibration. The intensity and pattern of the vibration generated by the hit module 154 can be controlled. For example, different vibrations may be synthesized and output or sequentially output.

In addition to the vibration, the haptic module 154 may include a pin arrangement vertically moving with respect to the contact skin surface, a spraying force or a suction force of the air through the injection port or the suction port, a touch on the skin surface, contact with an electrode, And various tactile effects such as an effect of reproducing a cold sensation using an endothermic or exothermic element can be generated.

The haptic module 154 can be implemented not only to transmit the tactile effect through the direct contact but also to allow the user to feel the tactile effect through the muscular sensation of the finger or arm. The haptic module 154 may include two or more haptic modules 154 according to the configuration of the mobile terminal device 100.

The memory 160 may store a program for the operation of the controller 180 and temporarily store input / output data (e.g., a phone book, a message, a still image, a moving picture, etc.). The memory 160 may store data on vibration and sound of various patterns outputted when a touch is input on the touch screen.

The memory 160 may be a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (for example, SD or XD memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), PROM A disk, and / or an optical disk. The mobile terminal device 100 may operate in association with a web storage that performs a storage function of the memory 160 on the Internet.

The interface unit 170 serves as a path for communication with all external devices connected to the mobile communication device 100. The interface unit 170 receives data from an external device or supplies power to each component in the mobile terminal device 100 or allows data in the mobile terminal device 100 to be transmitted to an external device. For example, a wired / wireless headset port, an external charger port, a wired / wireless data port, a memory card port, a port for connecting a device having an identification module, an audio I / O port, A video input / output (I / O) port, an earphone port, and the like may be included in the interface unit 170.

The identification module is a chip for storing various information for authenticating the use right of the mobile terminal device 100 and includes a user identification module (UIM), a subscriber identity module (SIM) (Universal Subscriber Identity Module, USIM), and the like. Devices with identification modules (hereinafter referred to as "identification devices") can be manufactured in a smart card format. Therefore, the identification device can be connected to the mobile terminal device 100 through the port.

When the mobile terminal apparatus 100 is connected to an external cradle, the interface unit may be a path through which power from the cradle is supplied to the mobile terminal apparatus 100 or various command signals input from the cradle by the user And may be a channel to be transmitted to the mobile terminal device. The various command signals or the power source inputted from the cradle may be operated as a signal for recognizing that the mobile terminal device is correctly mounted on the cradle.

The controller 180 typically controls the overall operation of the mobile terminal. For example, voice communication, data communication, video communication, and the like. The control unit 180 may include a multimedia module 181 for multimedia playback. The multimedia module 181 may be implemented in the control unit 180 or may be implemented separately from the control unit 180. [

The controller 180 may perform a pattern recognition process for recognizing handwriting input or drawing input performed on the touch screen as characters and images, respectively.

The power supply unit 190 receives external power and internal power under the control of the controller 180 and supplies power necessary for operation of the respective components.

The various embodiments described herein may be embodied in a recording medium readable by a computer or similar device using, for example, software, hardware, or a combination thereof.

According to a hardware implementation, the embodiments described herein may be implemented as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays May be implemented using at least one of a processor, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, and other electronic units for performing other functions. In some cases, The embodiments described may be implemented by the control unit 180 itself.

According to a software implementation, embodiments such as the procedures and functions described herein may be implemented with separate software modules. Each of the software modules may perform one or more of the functions and operations described herein. Software code can be implemented in a software application written in a suitable programming language. The software code is stored in the memory 160 and can be executed by the control unit 180. [

2A is a perspective view of an example of a mobile terminal device according to the present invention as viewed from the front.

The disclosed mobile terminal apparatus 100 has a bar-shaped terminal body.

However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and can be applied to various structures such as a slide type, a folder type, a swing type, and a swivel type in which two or more bodies are relatively movably coupled.

The body includes a case (a casing, a housing, a cover, and the like) which forms an appearance.

In this embodiment, the case may be divided into a front case 101 and a rear case 102. [ A variety of electronic components are embedded in the space formed between the front case 101 and the rear case 102. At least one intermediate case may be additionally disposed between the front case 101 and the rear case 102. [

The cases may be formed by injection molding a synthetic resin, or may be formed to have a metal material such as stainless steel (STS) or titanium (Ti) or the like.

The front body 101 mainly includes a display unit 151, an audio output unit 152, a camera 121, user inputs 131 and 132, a microphone 122, an interface 170, an illuminance sensor 144, Can be arranged.

The display unit 151 occupies most of the main surface of the front case 101. A sound output unit 152 and a camera 121 are disposed in an area adjacent to one end of both ends of the display unit 151 and a user input unit 131 and a microphone 122 are disposed in an area adjacent to the other end. The user input unit 132 and the interface 170 may be disposed on the side surfaces of the front case 101 and the rear case 102. [

The user input unit 130 is operated to receive a command for controlling the operation of the mobile communication device 100 and may include a plurality of operation units 131 and 132. The operation units 131 and 132 may be collectively referred to as a manipulating portion and may be employed in any manner as long as the user operates in a tactile manner.

The contents inputted by the first or second operation unit 131 or 132 may be variously set. For example, the first operation unit 131 receives commands such as start, end, scroll, and the like, and the second operation unit 132 controls the size of the sound output from the sound output unit 152 or the size of the sound output from the display unit 151 To the touch recognition mode of the touch screen.

The illuminance sensor 144 is disposed at a position where the brightness of the surroundings can be detected regardless of the use state of the user's mobile terminal device 100. The illuminance sensor 144 is disposed on the side surfaces of the front case 101 and the rear case 102 desirable.

FIG. 2B is a rear perspective view of the mobile terminal shown in FIG. 2A.

Referring to FIG. 2B, a camera 121 'may be further mounted on the rear surface of the terminal body, that is, the rear case 102. The camera 121 'may have a photographing direction substantially opposite to the camera 121 (see FIG. 2A), and may be a camera having different pixels from the camera 121.

For example, the camera 121 may have a low pixel so that the face of the user can be photographed and transmitted to the other party in case of a video call or the like, and the camera 121 ' It is preferable to have a large number of pixels. The cameras 121 and 121 'may be installed in the terminal body so as to be rotatable or pop-upable.

A flash 123 and a mirror 124 are additionally disposed adjacent to the camera 121 '. The flash 123 illuminates the subject when the subject is photographed by the camera 121 '. The mirror 124 allows the user to illuminate the user's own face or the like when the user intends to shoot himself / herself (self-photographing) using the camera 121 '.

An acoustic output 152 'may be additionally disposed on the rear surface of the terminal body. The sound output unit 152 'may implement the stereo function together with the sound output unit 152 (see FIG. 2A), and may be used for the implementation of the speakerphone mode during a call.

In addition to the antenna for talking and the like, a broadcast signal reception antenna 116 may be additionally disposed on the side of the terminal body. The antenna 116, which forms part of the broadcast receiving module 111 (see FIG. 1), can be installed to be able to be drawn out from the terminal body.

The terminal body is equipped with a power supply unit 190 for supplying power to the mobile communication device 100. The power supply unit 190 may be built in the terminal body or may be detachable from the outside of the terminal body.

The rear case 102 may further include a touch pad 135 for sensing a touch. The touch pad 135 may also be of a light transmission type like the display unit 151. [ In this case, if the display unit 151 is configured to output time information on both sides, the time information can be recognized through the touch pad 135 as well. The information output on both sides may be all controlled by the touch pad 135. [ Alternatively, a display may be additionally mounted on the touch pad 135, and a touch screen may be disposed on the rear case 102 as well.

The touch pad 135 operates in correlation with the display portion 151 of the front case 101. The touch pad 135 may be disposed parallel to the rear of the display unit 151. The touch pad 135 may have a size equal to or smaller than that of the display unit 151.

3 is a flowchart illustrating an automatic brightness control method of a mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

The automatic brightness control method discretely adjusts the brightness of the display unit 151 when the illuminance value according to the surrounding brightness is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value. The illuminance sensor 144 senses the ambient brightness, To the control unit 180 (S110).

The controller 180 compares the illuminance value input in step S110 with a predetermined reference value (S120).

If it is determined in step S120 that the illumination value is smaller than the predetermined reference value, the controller 180 determines a brightness adjustment mode of the display unit 151. [ That is, the controller 180 adjusts the brightness of the display unit 151 according to the automatic mode or manual mode set by the user's selection (S130). When the brightness control mode set by the user is the automatic mode, the controller 180 continuously varies the brightness of the display unit 151 in proportion to the illuminance value of the surrounding environment. When the brightness control mode set by the user is the manual mode, the controller 180 maintains the brightness of the display unit 151 at a fixed brightness value regardless of the brightness value of the surrounding environment.

If it is determined in operation S120 that the illumination value is greater than or equal to the predetermined reference value, the brightness of the display unit 151 is controlled in accordance with a predetermined brightness value in operation S140. The preset brightness value may be set to be larger than the brightness value range of the display unit 151 according to the automatic mode or the manual mode so that the brightness of the display unit 151 can be changed and controlled to be discrete . As described above with reference to FIG. 1, the brightness adjustment in step S140 may be performed when the 'outdoor visibility' item of the brightness adjustment item of the display unit 151 is set together with the automatic mode or the manual mode have. The automatic brightness control method according to the present invention is an automatic brightness control method in which when the mobile terminal device is used in an outdoor environment in which illumination over a predetermined reference value 401 is sensed, the brightness of the display portion 151 is discontinuously increased to secure outdoor visibility And the power consumption can be reduced.

4 is an example of a relationship between an illuminance value and a brightness value when the brightness control mode of the display unit is the automatic mode.

Referring to FIG. 4, since the brightness adjusting mode of the display unit 151 is set to the automatic mode by the user's selection, the controller 180 variably sets the brightness of the display unit 151 according to the illuminance value.

That is, when the illuminance value provided by the illuminance sensor 144 is smaller than the predetermined reference value 401, the controller 180 corresponds to a brightness value that increases or decreases in proportion to the illuminance value provided by the illuminance sensor 144 Thereby adjusting the brightness of the display unit 151.

As described above, in the state in which the automatic mode is set, an item 'outdoor visibility' may be additionally set by the user's selection. In this case, the controller 180 compares the illuminance value provided by the illuminance sensor 144 with a predetermined reference value 401 stored in the memory 160. When the 'outdoor visibility' item is set, the illuminance sensor 144 may periodically or in certain cases provide illuminance values to the controller 180. The specific case may be, for example, a case in which the movement of the user holding the mobile terminal device is sensed by using an acceleration sensor provided in the sensing unit 140. The predetermined reference value 401 can be determined with reference to an average roughness value calculated by collecting the illuminance observed in the outdoor environment for a certain period of time.

If it is determined that the illuminance value provided by the illuminance sensor 144 is equal to or greater than the predetermined reference value 401 as a result of the comparison, the controller 180 displays the brightness value 407 corresponding to the brightness value 407 stored in advance in the memory 160 The brightness of the portion 151 is changed and set. The previously stored brightness value 407 may be set to a brightness value at which outdoor visibility can be secured based on the use experience of the mobile terminal device in the outdoor environment, Lt; / RTI > As shown in FIG. 4, the previously stored brightness value 407 is compared with the brightness value change (that is, the reference numeral 403 to 405) in the general use (i.e., indoor use) of the mobile terminal device , It can be seen that it is set to be considerably large. The brightness values from 403 to 405 are caused by the user setting the brightness of the display unit 151 to be substantially dark in order to reduce power consumption as described above. The mobile terminal apparatus according to the present invention has a predetermined reference value It is possible to secure outdoor visibility by discretely increasing the brightness of the display unit 151 in an outdoor environment in which the illuminance of the display unit 401 is detected.

5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a relationship between an illuminance value and a brightness value when the brightness control mode of the display unit is the manual mode.

5, since the brightness adjusting mode of the display unit 151 is set to the manual mode by the user's selection, the controller 180 sets the brightness of the display unit 151 to a fixed brightness value 503). When the illuminance value provided by the illuminance sensor 144 is smaller than the predetermined reference value 501, the controller 180 controls the display unit 144 in accordance with the fixed brightness value regardless of the illuminance value provided by the illuminance sensor 144 151).

As described above, the 'outdoor visibility' item can be additionally set by the user's selection in the state set in the manual mode. In this case, the controller 180 compares the illuminance value provided by the illuminance sensor 144 with a predetermined reference value 501 stored in the memory 160. The predetermined reference value 501 can be determined with reference to an average roughness value and the like calculated by collecting the illuminance observed in the outdoor environment for a predetermined period of time.

If it is determined that the illuminance value provided by the illuminance sensor 144 is equal to or greater than the predetermined reference value 501 as a result of the comparison, the controller 180 displays the brightness value 505 corresponding to the brightness value 505 stored in advance in the memory 160 The brightness of the portion 151 is changed and set. The previously stored brightness value 505 may be set to a brightness value at which outdoor visibility can be secured based on experience of use of the mobile terminal device in an outdoor environment, Lt; / RTI > As shown in FIG. 5, the previously stored brightness value 505 is set to be considerably larger when compared with the brightness value (reference numeral 503) in the general use (i.e., indoor use) of the mobile terminal device . The brightness value of the reference numeral 503 is due to the fact that the user sets the brightness of the display unit 151 to be substantially dark to reduce power consumption as described above and the mobile terminal apparatus according to the present invention has a brightness value equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value 501 In the outdoor environment in which the illuminance is sensed, outdoor visibility can be secured by discretely increasing the brightness of the display portion 151.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Accordingly, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the following claims, as well as equivalents thereof.

Claims (6)

A display unit;
An illuminance detection unit for sensing ambient brightness and outputting an illuminance value; And
And a control unit for discontinuously adjusting the brightness of the display unit according to an illuminance value input from the illuminance detection unit,
Wherein,
And controlling the brightness of the display unit to be changed so as to correspond to a preset brightness value when the illuminance value is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value,
Wherein the preset brightness value is a brightness value at which outdoor visibility can be ensured and is a set value that is set to a value that is also set to a brightness value that is set when compared with a change in brightness value in a room.
delete The method according to claim 1,
The control unit
Wherein the control unit controls the brightness of the display unit to be changed so as to correspond to a preset brightness value when the brightness value of the display unit is fixed, when the brightness control mode of the display unit is the manual mode, Device.
The method according to claim 1,
The control unit
The brightness of the display unit is changed in proportion to the illuminance value when the brightness control mode of the display unit is in the automatic mode, To the mobile terminal device.
(a) receiving an illuminance value according to ambient brightness;
(b) determining whether the illuminance value received in the step (a) is greater than or equal to a predetermined reference value; And
(c) controlling the brightness of the display unit to be discontinuous when the illuminance value is greater than or equal to the predetermined reference value as a result of the determining in the step (b)
The step (c)
Adjusting the brightness of the display unit to correspond to a predetermined brightness value when the illuminance value is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value,
Wherein the preset brightness value is a brightness value at which outdoor visibility can be secured and is a value set to be larger than a brightness value set when the brightness value is compared with a change in brightness in the room.
delete

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